Desktop and web apps
Use DonutChat on a computer with the desktop app for macOS (Apple silicon) and Linux (x64), or in your browser with the web app. Both use the same account and chats as the phone apps, with the differences listed below.
To download the desktop app, see Get the apps. For sign-in options, see Create your account.
Desktop app
Section titled “Desktop app”Find your way around
Section titled “Find your way around”The desktop app has five sections. Click one to open it, or press ⌘1 to ⌘5 (Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+5 on Linux).
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Chats | Your chat list next to the open conversation. Threads, search, pinned messages and chat details open in a side panel. |
| Discover | Articles, with For You, Saved, Feeds and Interests. See Discover. |
| Activity | All, Threads, Mentions and Notifications. |
| Saved | Your bookmarks, and the files and links shared in your chats. |
| People | Find people, Followers and Blocked, plus Invite for your personal invite link. |
Settings (⌘, or Ctrl+,) holds your account and app settings. Click your profile picture for the account menu: Profile & settings, Add another account and Sign out.
In a conversation, hover over a message to react, reply in a thread or save it to bookmarks. Right-click a message or a chat, or click More (⋯), for more actions.
Resize panels
Section titled “Resize panels”- Drag the border between two panes to resize the chat list or a side panel. You can also focus a border and use the arrow keys.
- Double-click a border to reset that panel to its default width.
- Widths are remembered for each account on that computer. To reset them all, go to Settings > Appearance and click Reset sidebar widths.
When the window is narrow, DonutChat shows fewer panes, and at the narrowest widths a side panel takes the place of the conversation. Click Return to conversation (Return to list outside Chats) and Show sidebar to switch between them.
Keyboard shortcuts
Section titled “Keyboard shortcuts”The app lists most of these in Settings > About DonutChat.
| Action | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Jump to a conversation | ⌘K | Ctrl+K |
| New conversation | ⌘N | Ctrl+N |
| Search in conversation | ⌘F | Ctrl+F |
| Switch sections | ⌘1 to ⌘5 | Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+5 |
| Settings | ⌘, | Ctrl+, |
| Back / Forward | ⌘[ / ⌘] | Alt+← / Alt+→ |
| Previous or next conversation in Chats | Option (Alt)+↑ / ↓ | Alt+↑ / ↓ |
| Close a panel or dialog | Esc | Esc |
| Send message | Enter | Enter |
| New line | Shift+Enter | Shift+Enter |
In the @mention list, use ↑ / ↓ to move, Enter to choose and Esc to close.
Saved has two tabs:
- Bookmarks: messages and web pages you saved. Switch between Messages and Web pages, and between Saved and Archived. You can search, filter, and edit notes and tags.
- Files & links: photos, videos, audio, files and links shared in your chats. Open message shows where each one was shared.
To bookmark a message, hover over it and click Save to bookmarks. Thread replies can’t be bookmarked. For details, see Bookmarks and Share files and find shared content.
Keep the app up to date
Section titled “Keep the app up to date”The desktop app checks for updates when it starts and periodically while it runs, and downloads them automatically. When an update is ready, a bar says “Update ready. It will install when you quit, or restart now.” The update installs the next time you quit DonutChat, or you can click Restart to update to install it now.
To see your version or check for an update yourself, go to Settings > About DonutChat. Desktop updates shows the installed version, and Check for updates looks for a newer one.
Window and connection
Section titled “Window and connection”- Only one copy of DonutChat runs at a time. Opening it again brings the open window to the front.
- On a Mac, closing the window quits DonutChat. There’s no menu bar icon.
- If the connection drops, a banner says “Reconnecting to DonutChat… Messages will sync when the connection returns.”
How the desktop app differs
Section titled “How the desktop app differs”| Area | In the desktop app |
|---|---|
| Signing in | There’s no Apple or magic-link sign-in, and you can’t create an account with Google. |
| Language | English only. |
| Your profile | Change your display name and username in Settings > Profile. Only the desktop app can change them. Change your photo in the phone or web app. |
| Account security | Change your password, review sign-in methods, manage Devices and cancel a scheduled account deletion. These are desktop-only. See Accounts and sign-in. |
| Chat list | The filters are All and Unread. You can’t reorder pinned chats or mark a chat as read from the list. |
| Joining and inviting | Invite links open in your browser, not the app. To join a chat, use New conversation > Join with code and enter its 12-character code. You can copy your personal invite link, but there’s no QR code. |
| Groups | Add up to 49 people while creating a group, set a use limit and expiry date on invite links, and set your own nickname in a chat. You can’t change a chat’s photo, show an invite QR code or invite your followers. |
| Writing messages | No voice input, emoji shortcode suggestions, or @everyone and @here suggestions. Rewrite with AI takes the place of Polish with AI. Drafts last until you quit the app. |
| Mentions | @mentions you send, including @everyone and @here, aren’t added to anyone’s Mentions and don’t notify people who muted the chat. Bots still respond when you @mention them. |
| Messages | You can’t copy message links. Chat search finds text only, without person or date filters or thread replies. At the limit of 50 pinned messages, unpin one before pinning another. |
| Threads | Open in a side panel. There’s no notification bell; desktop follows each thread’s bell setting from your other devices, which is on for threads you start or reply to. |
| Notifications | Only for the account that’s open, and only while the app is running. There are no notification settings. Muting is on or off, without a duration, and new messages in a muted chat don’t notify you, even when they mention you. The unread total counts only chats you haven’t muted. |
| Photos and files | Attach up to 10 files per message by picking, pasting or dragging them in. There’s no camera, review screen, image editor or HD option. Files upload at their original size, so large photos can exceed the size limits. Files open in your browser. |
| Links | Open in your default browser. There’s no in-app browser or highlights. |
| Bookmarks | Kept in Saved, without bulk actions or export. |
| Discover | Has its own layout, without Topics. |
| Ladder game | You can’t create, run or open ladder games. |
| Bots | Create bots, pause them and add them to the open chat. Editing, deleting, new API tokens, and a chat’s Bots and Webhooks settings are in the phone and web apps. |
| Not available | Labs, Clear cache, Usage analytics, haptic feedback, shake to report, and screenshots in bug reports. |
Web app
Section titled “Web app”Open web.donutchat.com in any modern browser and sign in. The web app has the same screens as the phone apps, with the differences below.
Install the web app
Section titled “Install the web app”In browsers that support installing web apps, you can keep DonutChat in its own app window.
- Open web.donutchat.com.
- When you see “Keep DonutChat in its own app window.”, click Install DonutChat.
- Confirm in your browser’s install prompt.
To hide the suggestion, click Dismiss. In Safari on a Mac, you can use File > Add to Dock where it’s available. The installed app works like the browser version, so closing its window also signs you out.
Updates and offline
Section titled “Updates and offline”- When a new version is out, DonutChat shows “A new version is ready. Reloading will sign you out.” Click Reload when you’re ready; the app never reloads on its own.
- When you’re offline, DonutChat shows “You’re offline. Reconnect to send and receive messages.” Conversations aren’t saved for offline use.
Keyboard
Section titled “Keyboard”| Keys | What they do |
|---|---|
| Enter | Send the message. |
| Shift+Enter | Add a new line. |
| Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac) | Paste an image from the clipboard. Your browser may ask for permission. |
| ↑ / ↓, Enter, Esc | In the @mention list: move, choose, close. |
The web app has no other keyboard shortcuts.
How the web app differs
Section titled “How the web app differs”| Area | In the web app |
|---|---|
| Notifications | None. New messages appear only while DonutChat is open, and there’s no unread badge on an app icon. To get notified, use the phone or desktop app. |
| Editing messages | You can’t edit messages or see edit history. |
| Message display | There’s no Message display setting. |
| Content preferences | There’s no Content preferences group in Profile. Set article languages and interests in Discover > Personalize feed. |
| Photos and files | Files upload at their original size, so large photos and videos can exceed the size limits. There’s no HD option, and you can’t attach ZIP or audio files. The camera depends on your browser. |
| Links | Open in a new browser tab. There’s no in-app browser, and you can’t save web pages or highlights, though you can view and manage them in Bookmarks. |
| Voice input | Works only in browsers that support speech recognition. |
| Sharing from other apps | Not available. |
| Bots | Create Bot makes an API bot. You can’t set up a hosted AI assistant or a ChatGPT agent, or use Run personal bot. |
| Phone-only features | Haptic feedback, inviting people from your contacts, and shake to report. |